? A Suffolk corrections officer who works on the side as a bouncer is on life support following an assault at the Southampton Publick House.

Police say the incident began when the bouncer, 40-year-old Andrew Reister, asked patron Anthony Oddone to stop dancing on a table. At that point, police say Oddone attacked Reister, a father of two, and choked him until he went unconscious.

Reister?s friends and the bar?s owner say they are stunned by the attack.

"He is from a terrific family and we are a family-owned establishment,? Publick House owner Don Sullivan told News 12 Long Island exclusively. ?An incident like this is horrific and completely unexpected."

?Andrew is probably one of the nicest guys I?ve ever met,? says friend Alfred Callahan. ?He was a good laugh, I?d just come over here and hang out with him.?

Oddone, of Farmindgale, is charged with assault and is being held at Rikers Island on $500,000 bail. Reister is being treated at Stony Brook University Hospital. According to the head of the corrections officers' union, tests are being done on Reister to see whether he is brain dead.

"We thank the public for their support, and at this time we ask people for their thoughts and prayers for Andrew and our family,? Reister?s wife said in a statement.

Bouncerextremely critical after Southampton attack

Andrew Reister Welfare Fund400 West Main StreetSuite 202Riverhead, NY 11901